Mistress changes name to The Many after 10 years

The rebrand aims to reflect the agency's full suite of services and long-term client relationships.

Mistress, which touted its project-based philosophy for the last 10 years, has rebranded to The Many to showcase its more recent commitment to long-term client relationships, as well as its breadth of capabilities.

Christian Jacobsen, founding partner of what’s now The Many, said the agency has evolved significantly over the last few years, especially in 2018 in terms of expanding beyond creative to include social, digital, strategy, in-house media and production. The shop also now has longer-term partnerships with the likes of Qdoba, Trip Advisor, Biofreeze, Sambazon, Monster Energy, Stitch Fix, Spindrift, Quest, Bolthouse Farms and Pearson.

"While it’s challenging to change an agency name, we’re so inspired by the new concept and thrilled by the fact that it truly represents who we are right now," said Jacobsen. "The old name didn't represent everyone here - we walked away from that name in our minds months ago, so while it’s always sad to see an old brand pass in the night, it’s really exciting to unleash this brand and see how it will help reinvent us and evolve our story."

Jacobsen said he and his team also decided to change the name from Mistress for cultural reasons, particularly in the era of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movement.

"This past year more than ever, we found ourselves explaining what the name meant," he said. "We’re a very open brand and if this was being misperceived, we wanted to acknowledge it and address it."

The Many’s new branding, logo and website were all designed in-house, and the iconography was changed from a keyhole to a flag to represent culture and inclusivity. The tagline for the refreshed shop is: "Greatness is never achieved in isolation," with a rallying cry of, "Together as one, we are The Many."

Media is the fastest growing discipline of the Los Angeles-based agency right now, said Jacobsen. He added that the shop puts media specialists on each account regardless of whether it’s part of the scope to "help with integration."

In addition to the rebrand, The Many has named Brand Director Maggie Cadigan as its incoming managing director of the new Boston office. The Many’s East coast location will open soon to serve TripAdvisor, Spindrift and other clients. Cadigan, who has been with the agency for five years, told Campaign that she’s from Boston and always expected to move back to her hometown.

"We have so many amazing thinkers and strategic people and we really are super hungry and wanting to grow, so this new office is just a testament to that," she said.

Last year, The Many doubled its headcount, which is now in the 70s, and grew revenue by nearly 30 percent, with media billings up more than double.